Fatima, Rizwana – We Hear Thy Cries

These past few weeks have been very depressing. Leaving alone the worsening political and economic situation, the saddening news of violence against young girls from marginalized families hired for domestic help by the privileged class, and the recurring occurrences of religious intolerance and vigilantism have deeply pained the conscious citizens of the country. The recent brutal violence against young Rizwana in the house of a civil judge; the tragic death of Fatima, falling prey to the carnal lust of a predator in the palace (Haveli) of Peer Asad Shah, a scion of the famous Jilani dynasty in Ranipur, Sindh, and the mob vandalism of the houses and churches of poor Christian community in Jaranwala, Punjab are ugly and shameful blots on the brow of our society.

Fatima has joined the countless sexually abused and murdered children in our dehumanised society. The poverty-stricken parents of Fatima, in their blind faith, trusted their young daughter to the Haveli of Peer Asad Shah for domestic help. Fatima breathed her last within the Haveli. Her parents were called in and handed over her battered dead body for burial. Though there were audible murmurs about her murder given the visible marks of violence on her body, the police of the area did not intervene ostensibly because of the power and reach of the Jilani dynasty.

Fatima was silently consigned to the embrace of Mother Earth.

As the tradition has it, the blood of the innocent even mired in the earth, speaks loudly. So, the cries of Fatima were heard from the heavens. The whispers and murmurs about her violent murder grew louder gaining more space in the social media that encouraged her parents to come forward breaking the barriers of faith and fear. The police also felt compelled to shun its expedient attempts for cover-up. It registered a criminal case against Peer Asad Shah and arrested him. However, his wife escaped arrest and managed to obtain pre-arrest bail from the Sindh High Court.

Peer Asad Shah displays no sign of remorse, and aggressively denies the involvement of someone from his palace in the murder of the girl. I recall the statement of the wife of the civil judge saying they handed over a healthy Rizwana to her parents. What happened to her afterwards is none of their concern. Obviously, she insinuated that the poor parents tortured their innocent daughter to nearly death breaking her limbs and almost gouging her eyes. While pleading the innocence of her son, Peer Asad Shah’s mother claimed they handed over Fatima’s dead body to her parents in normal condition.

They didn’t know about all those marks of torture on her body. She clearly implied that her parents had desecrated the dead body of their girl to implicate them. One is shocked to see the disdain of the privileged class for the marginalised people.

A female servant of the Haveli while talking to a social media activist refuted the elder lady’s claim. She claimed they heard Fatima’s harrowing cries coming from the room that normally remains in the use of Peer Asad Shah, beseeching to spare her from the torture and pain. Her cries slowly died down. These talks making rounds in social media are rendered credible by the post-mortem report of Fatima.

After the registration of the criminal case, the police posted a police guard on the grave of Fatima before the completion of the process to exhume her dead body. The post-mortem carried out by a team of able doctors has since confirmed the girl was subjected to brutal vaginal and anal sex and grievous torture with one arm broken. The police say the DNA tests have matched with one of the inmates of the Haveli.

The most unfortunate aspect of this tragic occurrence is that with the exception of Nafisa Shah, no leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has condemned this dastardly crime.

Nafisa Shah, though herself a Jilani Syed from Khairpur, is known for her support of women’s rights. She has also authored a well-researched book on the subject and always stands up for the rights of the marginalised women falling victim to the stinking feudal customs. Similarly, no tribal chieftain, spiritual or religious leader has raised his voice against the tragic murder of Fatima.

The reluctance of the PPP leaders is quite understandable. The influential Jilani dynasty has been associated with the PPP since its inception. For decades, the elder Peer Abdul Qadir Shah Jilani used to represent the area in the National Assembly from the PPP ranks.

He has since been succeeded by his son, Peer Fazal Shah. The successive PPP administrations have rewarded the dynasty with a generous allocation of development funds and other perks. A modern stadium has been constructed in the small town of Ranipur after the name of the elder Jilani.

Despite protests from the educated class, the Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences was also renamed after him. The Institute is the brainchild of Dr. Rahim Bukhsh Bhatti who invested his resources, toil and sweat to establish it.

Only the votes of the common populace of Sindh count for the PPP –not their wellbeing, honour and security. Conversely, leaders of the smaller nationalist factions have not only condemned the heinous crime but held demonstrations in Hyderabad and other towns demanding justice for Fatima. The small civil society particularly the women’s associations have been vocally pursuing the case. They have to be vigilant to maintain pressure on the police. The powerful, abetted by the police and tribal and spiritual peers, are well capable of restraining the remit of the law.

They put pressure on the affected poor family with financial inducements and threats for patches up as has happened in the past many cases. These Havelis rather than death-traps are doomed. My child Fatima, the collective consciousness of Sindh has heard your cries from the heavens and is up in arms for exemplary punishment to your perpetrators. Just pray to heavens your poor parents stand strong, and do not barter away your innocent blood.